Drabbles of an Exam Victim
by l0NeR-f0r-LiFe
Summary: Arthur is livid that Gwaine skipped training – but he let it be. Gwaine was taking care of a child after all. Little did either of them know that this child would uncover the deepest secrets of Camelot which would otherwise should've stayed hidden. And Merlin? "Why does she resemble you mate?"
1. Neglect

**This is a drabble series I've created to deal with A Level exam stress. For every 45 mins I revise, I reward myself with 10-15 mins of writing fanfic, using a random word generator as my inspiration.  
I don't know. Whenever I need to concentrate really hard, my imagination always goes wild and I have several plot bunnies stuck in my head. This is a way of ensuring I actually get some work done. **

**SO beware! This is unedited and was written more for myself rather than for others to enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. BBC does.**

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 _Word: Neglect_

Arthur stalked through the castle corridors. With each heavy step, his desire to murder a certain knight became more and more tempting – a drunkard knight who prioritised the tavern over training.

The King unknowingly snarled. As most people would know, he took his "knightly responsibilities" _very_ seriously. And he goddamn fulfils them.

Training the other knights being one such responsibility, which included their ability and punctuality. So when _Sir Gwaine_ had the audacity to skip training earlier today, the young king took it very seriously.

"Where the hell is he?" He bellowed at a young knight who have him the news that Gwaine was nowhere in the armoury. How dare he neglect his duties as a knight?

Occupied with his murderous thoughts, Arthur barely registered that he had arrived in the corridor next to the courtyard. His eyebrows furrowed – he suddenly realised he had no idea where the tavern was. As royalty, spending time in a common tavern was highly frowned up. Arthur, being the obedient son he was, obeyed his father and followed the customs religiously. Although he has long since disregarded traditions as a moral rule to live by, some old habits are hard to die. Going to the tavern being an example.

"Hey, calm down, it's okay."

Arthur slowly turned his head, to the direction of the voice. It seemed to be coming from the far end of the corridor.

Seconds later, he heard muffled crying. It was high pitched and sounded young, perhaps to a child of no more than ten. This was followed by hushed reassurances and further sniffling. As he stood on the stairs overlooking the courtyard, Arthur tried to make sense of the incoherent voices.

" – they'll execute me D-daddy. H-he's dead."."

" – onsense. You're a child. Now hush." Arthur was sure that that was Gwaine's voice. "It's gonna be okay. I'm going to take care of you."

Perhaps Gwaine hadn't skipped training to laze around in the tavern.

Arthur stalked through the castle corridors. He was still angry with Gwaine for missing practice, but with each step, his desire to murder a certain knight became less and less tempting.


	2. Stolen

**I don't own Merlin. BBC does.**

Note: Tomatoes are fruits (scientifically speaking).

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 _Word: Stolen_

"So tell me? Where are you from?"

Gwaine hugged the young girl tighter. Ashen faced and puffy eyed, she hiccupped in response.

It was a perfectly normal day in Camelot. Sun was shining, people were bustling about their work – Gwaine expected this day to follow his normal boring routine. Then, he heard screaming – "Thief! Theif! Stole me fruits!"

He had found her running for dear life from an angry fruit-seller. Behind her was an angry fat man who he guessed was the ever-so-wronged seller. Poor girl tripped on her feet, and would most likely been beaten him, had Gwaine not stepped in. Clutched in her little hands were two, almost rotten tomatoes – the type a seller would throw away because they were fit for sale.

"She's a thief! Must be taken to the King, I say!" He breathed out between pants. The fruit-seller's face as large and chubby, red as his tomatoes he sells. Whether it was from anger or exhaustion, Gwaine didn't know.

Gwaine paid for the over-priced apple. Once Fat Seller (as the knight mentally dubbed him) was out of sight, Gwaine bent down. "What's your name?" he gently asked.

And that was when the crying began. Not muffled, shy, sobbing; but loud, shrill, cries that could be heard all the way from the King's throne room.

"M-mummy! D-d-daddy!" Gwaine pinched the bridge of his nose. He threw the wailing girl over his shoulder, and carried her all the way to Gauis's chambers.

Looking back, carrying a random child to a stranger's house was probably not the best decision one could have made. But at the time, it seemed like a perfectly good idea.

And now he sat in stool, opposite the girl (whose name he still doesn't know), currently sat on the table, sniffling and legs folded. Gauis expertly wrapped a bandage around the girl's right ankle. Apparently, she had a deep wound– "By what I do not know," the physician had said – that was slightly infected. Gwaine wondered how he hadn't noticed that before.

"Hey, little bugger." The girl briefly looked up from examining her toes, before looking back down again. Apparently her foot was more interesting than Gwaine's face. "You in trouble?"

Just like that, waterfalls threatened to fall from her eyes once more. Gwaine internally slapped himself for his lack of tact. "Hey, hey. I'm in trouble to. Skipped training you see."

"Training?" Her voice was coarse from all that crying. Bless her.

"Yup, knight to Camelot," he pointed at the badge on his red cape, "King's gonna kill me for skipping training. So I'm in trouble too. How about you tell me why you're in trouble?"

The girl shook her head. "T-they'll execute me!"

"Nonesene! You're a child. Now hush" Gwaine's heart ripped apart at the sight of the girl. Her face, contorted with grief and fear, trying so her not to cry again. His voice became much gentler. "It's gonna be okay. I'm going to take care of you."

And so on that summer's night, Gwaine sat in Gauis's chambers and listened to the story of that little girl. God, Merlin was in so much trouble.


End file.
